Beginners Guide to Rosé Wine

Beginners Guide to Rosé Wine

Beginners Guide to Rosé Wine

The rosé wine is considered by experts to be the first type of wine ever prepared and contrary to what some may believe, it is most certainly not made by mixing white wine with red wine.

A wine made via the maceration process that retains some of the color from the dark skin of grapes is known as rosé wine or simply rosé. However, it can only be called rosé as long as the wine does not become dark enough to be called red wine during the skin contact process (Read here if you want to find out more on how it’s made).

Rosé is in itself a different genre of wine, much like white or red. Depending on the particular type of rosé in question, the varietal will differ in taste, smell and also, color.

See our beginners guide to rosé wine below to get the main sticking points:

Sangiovese Rosé – Dry/Fruity

The bright, fruity rosé is a hit with most people. The copper red colored wine has hints of green melons, roses, peaches and fresh strawberries imbibed in its dry acidic taste.

Syrah Rosé – Bold/Herbal

Made from the saignée method, the savory wine is usually ruby in color, sometimes even a deeper shade of ruby than seen otherwise in a rosé wine. Hints of White pepper, olives, peaches and strawberries come together to give it a musty flavor.

Grenache Rosé – Mild/Fruity

A bright ruby wine with elements of oranges, strawberries and hibiscus; that is the typical Grenache rosé. The fruity acidic wine may also at times, have a hint of English pepper in it.

Pinot Noir Rosé – Dry/Fruity

One of the rarer rosé wines, it is particularly hard to make due to the sensitive nature of the Pinot Noir grape. Its brilliant acidic taste and fruity aroma will remind you of strawberries, raspberries, watermelons and other fruity combinations.

Provence Rosé – Fruity/Rosey

The fresh, dry and salty wine with notes of roses, strawberries and watermelons is suitable for any and all occasions. A combination of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvèdre makes the Provence rosé a very special type of wine.

Mourvèdre Rosé – Fruity/Savory

The Mourvèdre grape gives this rosé a pale coral tint and a fruity-floral taste with a variety of essences. Some can even hint a taste of smoke or meat along with the usual sweet aroma of red plums and cherries.

Tempranillo Rosé – Light/Fruity

This Spanish rosé is savory in taste and that taste is well accompanied by elements of green peppercorn, strawberry and water melon. In order to enhance the taste, Grenache and Graciano grapes can at times be blended into the light pinkish wine.

Cabarnet Sauvignon Rosé – Savory/Rich

Another unique product of the saignée method, the Cabarnet Sauvignon Rosé is often confused by amateurs as red wine. The deep ruby color along with hints of black currant, pepper spice, green ball pepper and cherry sauce does nothing to clear that confusion either. The highly acidic taste of the rosé is in fact, the only giveaway.

Tavel Rosé – Dry

A rich wine of pinkish shade, the Tavel rosé is typically dry. Although the rosé may have as much as nine blends in it, the two primary grapes used are Grenache and Cinsault. An aged bottle of Tavel rosé has a slight nutty essence to it.

Zinfandel Rosé – Sweet/Savory

The only really sweet wine on this list is the Zinfandel rosé or the White Zinfandel. It is also the most famous and widely produced rosé in the entire world. The medium-high acidic taste offers hints of strawberries, green melons, lemons and cotton candy on the palate.

Hopefully you should be a bit more familiar with our beginners guide to rosé wine.